Got a tip? Send it to us at singapore@coconuts.co.
Meet PAPA.
He's a sculpture shaped in the likeness of Lee Kuan Yew, modern Singapore's founder and first Prime Minister. When you lift the head, it reveals a quote from the man himself. Inspired by a candy dispenser that originated in Austria, the first-ever PAPA sculpture was made in 2012."It was just an idea that I needed to get out of my head after seeing a series of figures done in a similar style by Budi Nugroho, an Indonesian artist." explains Jeffrey Koh, owner of Flabslab, a toy shop cum art gallery on Commonwealth Lane.
The original sculpture was on display at the Flabslab atelier when a "couple of people saw the big piece that’s been hiding in our office and remarked it’d be nice to have a smaller piece for their own collection," says Koh.
Thus the first edition — in red — was launched in 2013. "There wasn’t an exhibition. Sales were through our Facebook page and word of mouth. All 12 pieces were sold," he explains. "I believe most of them are of the belief that the man himself has done Singapore good and perhaps would like a unique piece of collectible for their own collection."
The latest iteration of the sculpture, introduced in February, is limited to 50 pieces and will be sold at MAD Museum of Art and Design on Tanglin Road. The head is cast in resin and stands on an acrylic base. It meaures 55cm in height.
Called the Whiter than White, the head does not open and no advice can be dispensed since he’s technically no longer in power, explains Kho. "The piece is titled PAPA because he can be considered as the founding father of modern Singapore. More importantly, if you cover the last letter, it’s PAP."
PHOTOS: Hannah Teoh | Yahoo Newsroom (above), Flabslab Facebook Page (topmost)
Like Jeffrey Koh, Christopher Pereira, 57, has been doing Lee Kuan Yew figures years before the Prime Minister passed away. He unveiled his latest figures on Mar 24 at a pop-up stall near Raffles Place."He has created large 30cm tall figures of Lee Kuan Yew in various outfits, including an Elvis outfit, as well as smaller figurines 15cm tall," reports Hannah Teoh on Yahoo! News Singapore.
According to Pereira, he's shown his work to both the late Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and both were appreciative. He sells them from $200- $8,000 and takes three to four months to do a 30-cm figure."Each is painstakingly handmade — he designs the moulds for the figures, and airbrushes them. The airbrushing alone takes 12 hours. He also takes several hours to conceptualise and design the figures," adds the report.
Got a tip? Send it to us at singapore@coconuts.co.
Meet PAPA.
He's a sculpture shaped in the likeness of Lee Kuan Yew, modern Singapore's founder and first Prime Minister. When you lift the head, it reveals a quote from the man himself. Inspired by a candy dispenser that originated in Austria, the first-ever PAPA sculpture was made in 2012."It was just an idea that I needed to get out of my head after seeing a series of figures done in a similar style by Budi Nugroho, an Indonesian artist." explains Jeffrey Koh, owner of Flabslab, a toy shop cum art gallery on Commonwealth Lane.
The original sculpture was on display at the Flabslab atelier when a "couple of people saw the big piece that’s been hiding in our office and remarked it’d be nice to have a smaller piece for their own collection," says Koh.
Thus the first edition — in red — was launched in 2013. "There wasn’t an exhibition. Sales were through our Facebook page and word of mouth. All 12 pieces were sold," he explains. "I believe most of them are of the belief that the man himself has done Singapore good and perhaps would like a unique piece of collectible for their own collection."
The latest iteration of the sculpture, introduced in February, is limited to 50 pieces and will be sold at MAD Museum of Art and Design on Tanglin Road. The head is cast in resin and stands on an acrylic base. It meaures 55cm in height.
Called the Whiter than White, the head does not open and no advice can be dispensed since he’s technically no longer in power, explains Kho. "The piece is titled PAPA because he can be considered as the founding father of modern Singapore. More importantly, if you cover the last letter, it’s PAP."
PHOTOS: Hannah Teoh | Yahoo Newsroom (above), Flabslab Facebook Page (topmost)
Like Jeffrey Koh, Christopher Pereira, 57, has been doing Lee Kuan Yew figures years before the Prime Minister passed away. He unveiled his latest figures on Mar 24 at a pop-up stall near Raffles Place."He has created large 30cm tall figures of Lee Kuan Yew in various outfits, including an Elvis outfit, as well as smaller figurines 15cm tall," reports Hannah Teoh on Yahoo! News Singapore.
According to Pereira, he's shown his work to both the late Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and both were appreciative. He sells them from $200- $8,000 and takes three to four months to do a 30-cm figure."Each is painstakingly handmade — he designs the moulds for the figures, and airbrushes them. The airbrushing alone takes 12 hours. He also takes several hours to conceptualise and design the figures," adds the report.